Engine starter



R. P. LANSING July 2, 1929.

ENGINE STARTER Filed Dec. 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet WWW/01111111011100,

July 2, 1929.

R. P. LANSING ENGINE STARTER Filed Dec. 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Bi f r a 66 W 69 60 M 71 Patented July 2, 192 9.

r oFFicE.

RAYMOND P. LANSING, OF MONTCLAIR, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ECLIISE MA- CHINE COMPANY, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ENGINE STARTER.

Application filed December My invention relates to engine starting apparatus for the starting of engines, such as internal combustion engines, and more particularly but not necessarily, airplane englues and the object thereof is to provide a simple, efficient and reliable apparatus capablc of either manual or power operatlon or both and characterized also by the provision of simple and eflicient inertia means which is actuated by such power or manual means for the accumulation and storing of energy which is thereupon utilized by the application thereof to the engine for cranking the same. More specifically, the object of my invention is to provide a very compact and most eflicient apparatus, particularly providing for greater efiiciency in the delivery of the power from the inertia means, such as a flywheel, after the latter has been brought up to speed-and for more compactness for installation purposes, articnlarly in the case of airplane engines "w erein the installation dimensions are very limited.

In the drawings,'l igure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the apparatus embodying ,my'invention; Fig. 2 a section on the irregular line 22 of Fig. 1.

My apparatus comprises a transmission or drive having an element hereinafter designated a. driving member, adapted to engage a member of the engine to be started, reduction means such as gearing, .an inertia means such as a flywheel, and means for actuating such drive, gearing, and flywheel. In the present instance, I have shown two separate actuating means, to-wit power means such as an electric motor and manual means including a cranking shaft,which two means maybeoperated separately or conjointly as dcsirdd and one or the other of which means may be dispensed with andremoved from the apparatus if desired, although I prefer the complete apparatus as'herein illustrated, that is with both the power means and the manual means employed. For the purpose of a clear and definite description of my invention and for convenience, I will describe my apparatus as used in connection wi'th airplane engines, although it will be understood that the same is not limited thereto its application.

First describing the transmission or drive, the same is located within a main casing 1 which is suitably supported as by being de- 16, 1925. Serial No. 75,717,

tachably connected witlrthe crankcase 2 of the engine, as by means of bolts 3, a small portion of which crankcase is illustrated. \Vithin the casing there rotates a driving barrel 4 and a shell 5 concentrically arranged therewithin and providing a considerable annular space between them to receive a'yieldable driving connection which is here in the form of a friction clutch 6. This clutch is composed of two sets of plates which are splined respectively to the interior of the barrel and the exterior of the shell. The proper pressure for the plates is provided by a series of springs 7 located in such space and such pressure is regulated by the adjustable nut 8 screwing onto the outer end of the shell.

The thrust of these springs tends to force the shell outwardly whereby the ring 9 clamps the plates together by forcing them against the ring 10 which. bears against the internal annular flangell within the barrel. 7

The shell 5 is provided with internal long lead threads 12 on which is threaded a screw shaft 13 constituting the main portion of-the driving member Whose other principal portion is a clutch member 14 adapted to engage a member of the engine to ,be started, such as the corresponding clutch element 15 forming a part of or secured to a rotatable part of the engine such as the crank shaft 16 thereof. T he element 14 is 'in the form of a disk having clutch jaws 17 adapted to engage the complementary clutch ja-ws 18 on the engine member and provided with a hub or sleeve portion 19 which has a bearing fit within the shell 5 and which has internal longitudinal grooves and splines 20 cooperating with cor- I responding grooves and splines on theouter end portion of the exterior of the screw shaft 13, whereby element 14 and screw shaft 13 have a relative longitudinal movement of limited degree independent of each other.

The element 14 is held in outward posit-ion with a yielding pressure in suitable manner as by means of a coil spring 22 which bears at its outer end against the bottom of sleeve 19 and at its inner end against the bottom of the socket formed iii-the outer end of the screw shaft. The outward movement of ele ment 14 is limited by the head of a rod 23 which passes centrally through the driving member parts and centrally through the main supporting shaft 24 of the reduction gearing. This rod is a manually operated rod terminating in a handle at a point exterior of the apparatus and in the present instance located adjacent the exterior of the casing of the manually operated means.

The foregoing described drive is a practical and efficient drive for the purposes of my invention, but such particular construction and details is not essential thereto inasmuch as a drive of'other or different construction may be adopted. Nor do I herein claim the particular construction and details of drive as herein shown and described inasmuch as the same constitutes the subject mat, ter of another application.

Next referring to the reduction means, the same is in the form of gearing which is contained within the main casing 1 and the cover plate 1 by which such gearing is supported and in which it has its bearings. A stationary internal gear 29 is secured to casing 1 and with the same there meshes a series of three planetary gears 31 which are journaled between two parallel plates 32 and 33. The inner plate 33 is connected with the barrel 4 in suitable manner whereby the rotation of such planetary gearing and plates 32-33 are transmitted to said drive. The plate 33 I has a hub provided with longitudinal grooves to receive oppositely extending pins 38 at the left-hand'end of'shaft 24 (Fig. 2) whereby such shaft and plate are detachably connected and the shaft is adapted to drive the plate and its attached gearing.

The inions 31 mesh with a central pinion 39 which as shown and by preference is formed as a part of the hub 40 of a spur gear 41 mounted to rotate freely upon the shaft 24 through the bushing 42. This gear 41 meshes with a pinion 43 which as shown and by preference is formed upon the hub 44 of a spur gear 45 mounted to rotate freely upon a shaft 46 which is journaled at its ends in the bearings 4747 in the walls of the easing 1 and cover plate 1. The right-hand end of shaft 24 (Fig. 2) is journaled in bearings 48 in plate 1 and extends therethrough and to-such projecting end a bevel pinion 49 is secured. This pinion forms a part of the manual means and the same extends into a small casing 50 secured by screws 51 to plate 1". The manual means consists, in addition, of a cranking shaft 52 extending extraneous of casing 50 and thereat provided with suitable means as pins 53 for engagement with an ordinary hand crank. This shaft 52 is journaled in bearings 54 and 54 within the casing 50, and is provi ed at its inner end with a bevel pinion 57 meshing with the corresponding pmion 49.

Describing theinertia means, the same comprises a flywheel 60 located within the casing 1 and secured to a shaft 61 journaled at its ends in the .bearings 62-62 in the opposite walls of the casing 1 and cover plate 1'. The

tor 66 which is mounted upon the casing 1 and removably secured thereto in suitable manner as by means of screws 67. The motor frame has at one end which in the present instance is its lower end as extension 68 in which is located the operating connections between the motor armature and a shaft 76 to which the pinion is attached. These operating connections provide for the establishment of driving relation between the motor and the shaft 7 0 when the motor is energized and provides for disestablishment or disconnection of such driving relation when the manual means is operated and the shaft 70 thereupon becomes the driver. In the present instance, I employ as such disconnecting means an ordinaryone-way clutch 71 located withinthe extension 68 and forming the driving connection between the shaft 69 and 70 when the motor is energized.

The shafts 24, 46 and 61 are arranged in parallel relationship and for convenience the shaft 24 is designated in the claims as the main shaft, the shaft 61 as the secondary shaft and the shaft 46 as the intermediate shaft. As shown in Fig. 1 the two shafts 24 and 46 are arranged in the same horizontal plane whereas the shafts 46 and 61 are located in a plane inclined to the horizontal. The armature shaft 69 and the shaft 61 are located in a plane inclined to the horizontal diflerent from the plane with respect to the shafts 46 and 61, so that the motor inclines back over the axial line of the main shaft 24.

Describing a cycle of the operation of apparatus and beginning first with the utilization of the power means or electric motor as the source of energy and with the parts in their normalposition shown in Fig. 2 in which the clutch elements 14 and 15 are disen gaged, when the motor'is energlzed the shaft 7 0 will be rapidly rotated through the overrunning clutch 71 which is adapted to transmit torque in one direction only-1n the present instance from the electric motor to the shaft 70 and to the succeeding elements in the train. The flywheel 60 is consequently rapidly rotated and when its R. P. M. reaches a predetermined figure, such as in practice from fifteen to twenty thousand, the current may if desired be switched off from the motor and thereupon the rod 23 is manually moved inwardly, that is to the left in Fig. 2 and the screw shaft and its clutch element 14 are moved longitudinally in that direction, and such clutch element is thereby advanced and brought into engagement with the other clutch element 15 and the engine is thereby cranked in view'of the fact that element 14 is being rotated through the drive by means of the flywheel, and such rotation will continue so long as there is sufficient energy left in the flywheel for that purpose. Referring in detail to the parts of the train through which the torque is transmitted the same is through the bevel pinions 65 and 64 and shaft 61 and pinion 63 to the spur gear 45, thence through the pinion 43 to the other spur gear 41 and thence through the reduction gearing to the plate 33, and consequently to the barrel 4, from whence the torque is transmitted through the friction clutch 6 to the shell 5 and through the screw threads to the driving member or screw shaft and eventually to the clutch element 14, which transmits the torque thence to the engine member in the manner hereinbefore explained.

When the engine starts on its own power, the excess speed of rotation of the engine and its clutch element 15 will cause the screw shaft and its element 14 to be retracted by the screw action between the screw shaft and shell or nut 5 and thereby to become disengaged from the engine in automatic manner.

Next describing the mode of operation with the manual means as the source of energy, a hand crank is applied to the shaft 52 and rotated by the operator until the flywheel gathers speed of the desired or predetermined R. I M. In this operation, the torque is transmitted from the shaft 52 through pinions 57 and 49 to shaft 24 and thence through the frame or cage of the planetary pinions to the spur gear 41 and through pinion 43 to spur gear 45, and through pinion 63 to the shaft 61, thereby rotating the flywheel. In this operation, the bevel gears 64 and 65 and the shaft will be rotated, but the torque will. not be transmitted to the electric motor owing to the presence of the one-way clutch 71 which disconnects the motor therefrom when. as in this operation, the shaft 70 becomes the driver. The flywheel having now been rotated to the proper speed, the rod 23 is operated and the engine is cranked and the driving member subsequently automatically disengaged in the same manner as above explained.

By the use of my apparatus constructed and operating as hereinbefore described, great compactness is obtained which is very desirable with respect to installation, especially installation on an airplane engine and moreover greater eflieiency is attained in the. delivery of power from the flywheel to the drive, and consequently to the engine member by the employment of the well-balanced construction and use of spur gearing. Moreover. my arrangement permits of the housing of the operating units, that is the drive, the reduction gearing and inertia means, within a. single casing.

I claim:

1. An engine starterhaving a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started. a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft, 21 secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft, and means for operating said shafts.

2. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member. reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft, and an electric motor operatively connected with said secondary shaft.

3. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main drivi 'ng shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft. and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft. an electric motor, and operating connections between the motor and secondary shaft including means for disconnecting such shaft from the motor when the shaft becomes the driver.

4. An engine starter having a drive including a drive member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of and in tandem relationship with said driving member. reduction gearing between said Shaft and the drive. a gear secured to said shaft, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts. an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft. and manually operated means operativel y connected with the main shaft.

5. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft. a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft, an electric motor operatively connected with the secondary shaft and manually operated means operatively connected with the main shaft, said is operated.

(5. An engine starter having a drive includ ing a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft, all said shafts being parallel but not lying in the same plane, and means for operating said shafts.

7 An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, reduction gearing between said shaft and the drive, a gear secured to said shaft, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the main shaft and secondary shaft, and having a gear operatively connecting said last two named shafts, an inertia means mounted on the secondary shaft, and an electric motor for operating said shafts,

- said motor having its axis inclined to a plane common to the axes of two of said shafts.

8. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of and in tandem relationship with said driving member, operating connections between such shaft and drive, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the other two shafts, a spur gear secured to the main shaft, a spur gear secured to the intermediate shaft and having a pinion meshing with the main shaft gear, a plnion on the secondary shaft with which pinion the second named spur ear meshes, a flywheel secured to the secondary shaft, and an electric motor operatively associated with said secondary shaft.

9. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member adapted to engage and crank a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of said driving member, operating connections between such shaft and drive, a secondary shaft, a shaft intermediate the other two shafts, operating connections between the shafts, said three shafts being parallel, and an electric-motor having an armature shaft for operating the shafts, said main and intermediate shaft being in the same horizontal plane, and said intermediate and secondary shafts being in a plane at an angle or incline to such horizontal plane and the armature shaft being at right angles to the secondary shaft and such two latter shafts being in a different inclined plane.

10. An engine ,starter having a drive ineluding a driving member normally disengaged from but adapted to be longitudinally moved to engage a member of the engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of the driving member and in tandem relationship therewith, manual means drivingly connected with such main shaft, actuating means cooperating with the driving member, reduction gearing between the main shaftand said actuating means, an electric motor, a train of gearing between the motor and the reduction gearing including a secondary shaft drivingly connected with the motor, a shaft intermediate the secondary shaft and the main shaft, and gearing between said shafts for the transmission of torque from the motor to the reduction gearing and from the manual means to the secondary shaft, and an inertia means connected with said secondary shaft.

11. An engine starter having a drive including a driving member normally disengaged from but adapted to be lon itudinally moved to engage a member of t e engine to be started, a main driving shaft in line with the axis of the driving member and in tandem relationship therewith,manual means drivingly connected with such main shaft, actuating means cooperating with the driving member, reduction gearing between the main shaft and said actuating means, an electric motor, a train of gearing between the motor and the reduction gearing including a secondary shaft drivingly connected with the motor, a shaft intermediate the secondary shaft and the main shaft, and gearing between said shafts for the transmission of torque from the motor to the reduction gearing and from the manual means to the secondary shaft, and an inertia flywheel which is connected to one end portion of the secondary shaft, the motor being drivingly connected to such secondary shaft at its middle portion. 7

12. An engine starter including a driving member normally dise 'gaged from but adapted to be longitudina ly moved to engage a member of an engine to be started, a main shaft in line with the axis of said driving member and normally connected for rotation therewith, reduction gearing having members thereof mounted respectively on said main shaft and in normal driving-connection with said driving member, a secondary shaft, inertia means operatively associated with said secondary shaft, an intermediate shaft, means including gearing on said intermediate shaft operatively connect-ing said secondary shaft with said reduction-gear-member on said main shaft, and an electric motor operatively F connected with said secondary shaft.

13. An engine starter including a driving member normall disengaged from but adapted to be longitudinall moved to engage a member of an engine to e started, a main shaft in line with the axis of said driving member and normally connected for rotation therewith, reduction gearing having members thereof mounted respectively on said main shaft and in normal driving-connection with said driving member, a secondary shaft, inertia means operatively associated with said secondary shaft, an intermediate shaft, means including gearing on said intermediate shaft operatively connecting said secondary shaft with said reductiongear-member on said main shaft, an electric motor operatively connected with said secondary shaft, and manually operable means for rotating said main shaft. ,1

14. An engine starter including a driving member movable to engage and crank a member of an engine to be started, a main shaft in line with said driving member, a secondary shaft, an intermediate shaft, gearing for speed-reduction operatively connected between said secondary shaft and said driving member and including gearing-elements mounted respectively on each of said three shafts, all of said shafts having parallel axes but said main and intermediate shafts having their axes in one plane and said intermediate and secondary shafts having their axes in a,

plane at an angle to the first, and an electric motor operatively connected with said secondary shaft and having its axis at an angle to the last mentioned plane and inclined back over the axial line of the main shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

RAYMOND P. LANSING. 

